Rembrandt drawing stolen from California hotel

The Associated Press •August 15, 2011 4:28 pm

LOS ANGELES — Authorities say an art thief managed to pull off a weekend heist of a small Rembrandt drawing worth $250,000 while the exhibition curator was momentarily distracted at a Southern California luxury hotel.

The theft from the private exhibit in the lobby at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey occurred during a 15-minute window Saturday night.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said Monday that it’s unclear whether the person who distracted the curator was connected to the theft.

Whitmore called the theft well-thought-out, well-planned and well-executed.

The Dutch master’s quill pen and ink drawing — which is approximately 11 inches by 6 inches — is called “The Judgment.”

Detectives have a hotel surveillance videotape but it’s not being made public for now.